Wednesday 15 February 2012

Second semester update

The Christmas holidays came to a quick end. Recently we had to hand in are dissertation proposal and its starting to dawn on me, I will soon be in fourth year and will soon be graduating. Its a scary but exciting thought to  know that i will have a taste of the real world soon. However with that thought, I know i have a pretty good set up in uni with the work shop etc which i will deeply miss when the time comes.
The second semester of third year has been a good start for me, I've finally started to scale my  work up. I'm still getting to grips with working on a larger scale but i feel i'm making some progress.  This semester has also got me doing print making which i am enjoying, It's a long process making a silk screen but the results are worth it. The narrative behind my work is also starting to refine.


"Beauty in decay. Child hood memories. Places that spark memory and excitement. A place where you can create your own world. A place that becomes a safe haven and an obsession almost. Walls that allow the imagination to invent. Child hood mark making and enviroments of interest"


In the studio i have started to re create child hood memories of playing in abandoned buildings. My work is taking almost a primitive approach to creating works.

A happy mess...


Here is a finished result of a cardboard book that i made, the cardboard was from packaged ink that was delivered to the printing unit that i found in the skip. I then bound it with wires from the inside of a computer which was also left behind. I then cut out a bar code from a magazine for a bit of fun to add on. Basically everything that was used to make the book was made of recycled materials.
























I bought some transfer gel in the university shop to try out so i could transfer an image on to an old tray that i found, I wasn't very pleased with the outcome as the image isn't very clear. However its still in keeping with the tray.


During my time working in the print studios I have discovered a lot of scrap paper just gets left. I found some really nice bits of heavy card which is used for the presses to stop ink transferring on to another image underneath. I gathered some of it and decided to print my own images on to them using a silk screen. I also thought that one of my images looked good in one of the other trays that i have. I then decided to draw with pencil on to some of the bits of paper. 








Here are some experimental mixed media paintings where i also introduced some child drawings which i done with my left hand. I enjoyed doing these as i feel like they have pushed my textural knowledge a bit further. Iv also been writing with my left hand in some of my other works, I can see my hand writing improving with my left hand which is strange to see. In my spare time at home i have been making a book where i only draw and write with my left hand just for enjoyment purposes. I haven't photographed this, not sure if i will yet either as its starting to turn in to a diary of thoughts etc.


 Close up


Close up

I have also been working on a set of three massive circles too. For each one i have been exploring different colours and textures.

 I have to admit, I'm stuck with this one. The colours are not working and its been getting on my nerves big time, It's best for me to put this one aside for a bit and come back to it as i have two more to work on at the moment anyway.
 This is the more recent one which im more happy with. I got my wood from the roof of are old rabbits hutch which is slowly decaying outside in my garden. I also used a clay putty on this too. I'd like to have a linocut print in the white space, im thinking of painting that space black and having the print done in red ink, I want it to stretch over a bit so it brings the other materials together as it looks a bit like a jigsaw just now...

close up

During my skip raiding sessions i found this lovely incubator box which i think was perhaps used at some point for growing plants or eggs in.  love the natural markings, the mesh on the side and the vintage light switch. I decided to add some legs to it and create it in to a slide box. I have it all made i just need to print on to the slides which i have made from wood. Id like to create my own textures on to the wooden slides and then screen print some of my own images on to them.






I have also started another sculptural piece. When i was younger i remember making little boxes with my friend in the abandoned houses and factories that we played in, we would paint the boxes and leave items in them, sometimes it was items that we brought out from home, like crayons, toys or sweets. Other times it would be found objects, like wild berries, bolts, keys, old bits of clothing, porn and food packets. We would then hide them for someone else to find, gangs would find them, write on them, leave other items in them and even burn them and piss on them. I thought it would be a good idea to set myself a project to create a box a day. I will then have them stacked high on a plinth, It will be odd because the boxes would usually be well hidden in pipes, walls and cupboards etc. I also want to burn the boxes too. Here is the boxes i have so far. i made a few more today but didn't photograph them...







Also, just thought id put a little photo of my new pencil holder that i found in a skip, Its actually used fire works but i love it.


Never put anything to waste.

Also, a little print on to wood...

This is one of my favourite prints so far. The wood was found in the skip and i then printed my own image on to it and then i coloured in the arms with crayons, I love crayons. To finish it off i got it box framed down at the wood work shop...



My screen print folder is starting to look full too...


Just thought id put my screen printing sketch book up too just to finish up on the other post. The books only got a few pages left. I have big plans for the rest of the semester. I have a massive board to cover, photos to screen print on to massive meter long stained paper. Rubbings to make and lots more. Ill carry on bin raiding and being a grubby mink forever more. Watch this space...

























































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